Search for Articles:
Title / Keyword
Author / Affiliation / Email
Journal
Article Type
 
 
Advanced Search
 
Section
Special Issue
Volume
Issue
Number
Page
 
4.9
2.7
Journals
Symmetry
Special Issues
Symmetry and Asymmetry: From Evolution to Neuroscience
share announcement

Symmetry and Asymmetry: From Evolution to Neuroscience

A special issue of Symmetry (ISSN 2073-8994). This special issue belongs to the section "Life Sciences".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (15 March 2023) | Viewed by 20081

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Gillian Forrester

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Psychology, University of Sussex, Falmer, Brighton BN1 9RH, UK
Interests: evolution; animal behavior; behavioral analysis; human evolution; behavioral ecology; behavioral ; neuroscience; ecology and evolution; mammals; cognitive neuroscience; brain

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Functional brain biases can manifest physically as domain-specific hand, ear and visual field preferences. Comparative evidence suggests that primitive functional cerebral asymmetries remain relevant in modern human behaviour and provide critical support for the development of modern human cognitive abilities.

However, limiting factors to understanding the emergence of human cognition are still: 1) the implicit human exceptionalism in much evolutionary and developmental research; and 2) the entrenched perspective that motor-sensory and cognitive development are separate systems. Presently, we have little understanding of the distribution and variation of brain and behavioural biases across the healthy population, how these characteristics interact and develop across the lifespan and their relationship with human cognitive abilities.

Psychological sciences require an Evolutionary-Developmental that places humans within the natural world and affords a broader understanding of how and why many human cognitive abilities are supported in an organisationally biased fashion.

Theoretical and experimental manuscript submissions are now being sought to reflect this scientific area of research from an Evolutionary-Developmental perspective.

Submit your paper and select the Journal “Symmetry” and the Special Issue “Symmetry and Asymmetry: From Evolution to Neuroscience” via: MDPI submission system. Our papers will be published on a rolling basis and we will be pleased to receive your submission once you have finished it.

Dr. Gillian Forrester
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Symmetry is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • cerebral lateralisation
  • brain
  • biases
  • cognition
  • evolution
  • development

Published Papers (6 papers)

Download All Papers
Order results
Result details
Show export options expand_more Show export options expand_less
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:

Research

Jump to: Review

17 pages, 1612 KiB  
Article
Geometrical Visual Illusions Revisited: The Curse of Symmetry, the Cure of Sighting, and Taxing Task Demands
by Klaus Landwehr
Symmetry 2022, 14(12), 2550; https://doi.org/10.3390/sym14122550 - 02 Dec 2022
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2602
Abstract
For nine popular geometrical visual-illusion figures, a mathematical analysis is provided along with a characterization of the figures’ psychological effectiveness. Supported by graphical illustrations, for the L and the T, it is shown how mathematical singularities of these figures can be isolated, and [...] Read more.
For nine popular geometrical visual-illusion figures, a mathematical analysis is provided along with a characterization of the figures’ psychological effectiveness. Supported by graphical illustrations, for the L and the T, it is shown how mathematical singularities of these figures can be isolated, and the illusions annihilated. For the Poggendorff, the Hering, and the Zöllner figures, building on observations from Kennedy and Portal (1990), sighting the figures from specific vantage points at a shallow angle is proposed as a means to overcome these illusions. For the T, the Oppel–Kundt, the Müller–Lyer, and the Ebbinghaus figures, a new experiment demonstrated that observers were able to find a slant of the stimuli at which the illusory impressions vanished. Task demands on part of the beholders comprise discrimination and identification. The observed independence of response bias and sensitivity in psychometric functions can possibly be explained by the intrusion of identifying responses into discrimination tasks. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Symmetry and Asymmetry: From Evolution to Neuroscience)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

7 pages, 587 KiB  
Article
The Prospects of Utilizing Geometrical Visual Illusions as Tools for Neuroscience
by Klaus Landwehr
Symmetry 2022, 14(8), 1687; https://doi.org/10.3390/sym14081687 - 15 Aug 2022
Viewed by 1716
Abstract
Geometrical visual illusions have long been used as tools in neuroscience. Most commonly, researchers have taken illusions as a given and attempted to explain phenomenal impressions in terms of known neural mechanisms. In a psychophysical approach to this topic, it is customary to [...] Read more.
Geometrical visual illusions have long been used as tools in neuroscience. Most commonly, researchers have taken illusions as a given and attempted to explain phenomenal impressions in terms of known neural mechanisms. In a psychophysical approach to this topic, it is customary to modify stimuli until conditions for which illusions are enhanced, attenuated, or annihilated have been found. Additionally, the focus is not exclusively on response bias but equally on sensitivity, because observers may fall prey to an illusion but at the same time be able to discriminate between stimuli perfectly. For the T-figure, the length of the undivided line is usually overestimated relative to the length of the divided line, and evidence has accrued that suggests that the illusion may be due to the processing of the figure as a coherent unit (a “T-schema”). Dissecting the T or tilting its lines influenced the amount of illusion, suggesting that interactions between orientation-sensitive and end-inhibited neurons are at work. Examples of cognate research with the Ponzo, Ebbinghaus, and Müller-Lyer illusions are also discussed. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Symmetry and Asymmetry: From Evolution to Neuroscience)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

21 pages, 3020 KiB  
Article
The Precision of the Human Hand: Variability in Pinch Strength and Manual Dexterity
by Ameline Bardo, Katie Town, Tracy L. Kivell, Georgina Donati, Haiko Ballieux, Cosmin Stamate, Trudi Edginton and Gillian S. Forrester
Symmetry 2022, 14(1), 71; https://doi.org/10.3390/sym14010071 - 04 Jan 2022
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 4914
Abstract
Changes in hand morphology throughout human evolution have facilitated the use of forceful pad-to-pad precision grips, contributing to the development of fine motor movement and dexterous manipulation typical of modern humans. Today, variation in human hand function may be affected by demographic and/or [...] Read more.
Changes in hand morphology throughout human evolution have facilitated the use of forceful pad-to-pad precision grips, contributing to the development of fine motor movement and dexterous manipulation typical of modern humans. Today, variation in human hand function may be affected by demographic and/or lifestyle factors, but these remain largely unexplored. We measured pinch grip strength and dexterity in a heterogeneous cross-sectional sample of human participants (n = 556) to test for the potential effects of sex, age, hand asymmetries, hand morphology, and frequently practiced manual activities across the lifespan. We found a significant effect of sex on pinch strength, dexterity, and different directional asymmetries, with the practice of manual musical instruments, significantly increasing female dexterity for both hands. Males and females with wider hands were also stronger, but not more precise, than those with longer hands, while the thumb-index ratio had no effect. Hand dominance asymmetry further had a significant effect on dexterity but not on pinch strength. These results indicate that different patterns of hand asymmetries and hand function are influenced in part by life experiences, improving our understanding of the link between hand form and function and offering a referential context for interpreting the evolution of human dexterity. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Symmetry and Asymmetry: From Evolution to Neuroscience)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

15 pages, 1552 KiB  
Article
The Association among Autistic Traits, Interactional Synchrony and Typical Pattern of Motor Planning and Execution in Neurotypical Individuals
by Michal Granner-Shuman, Anat Dahan, Roi Yozevitch and Hila Zahava Gvirts Problovski
Symmetry 2021, 13(6), 1034; https://doi.org/10.3390/sym13061034 - 08 Jun 2021
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 2475
Abstract
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is characterized by deficits in interactional synchrony and motor performance, but little is known about the association between them. The current study investigated the association among aberrant interactional synchrony (as measured by interactors’ symmetry in the form of the [...] Read more.
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is characterized by deficits in interactional synchrony and motor performance, but little is known about the association between them. The current study investigated the association among aberrant interactional synchrony (as measured by interactors’ symmetry in the form of the hand at each time-point along movement’s execution), motor functioning and the level of Autistic traits. In this study, autistic traits were evaluated by the Autistic Spectrum Quotient (AQ). Two tasks were used: (1) an interactional synchrony task where participants and the research assistant were instructed to move their hands together; and (2) a motor planning task which allows for continuous monitoring of natural hand movements. Pearson correlation analysis indicated a significant association between lower communication skills (i.e., higher AQ communication scores) and lower intentional synchrony rates. In addition, lower communication skills were found associated with typical patterns of motor planning and execution characterized by shorter time to start the movement and higher value of max speed. Mediator analyses supported the notion that aberrant intentional synchrony in individuals with low communication skills is partially mediated through typical patterns of motor planning and execution. These results suggest typical patterns of motor functions may account for intentional synchrony difficulties. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Symmetry and Asymmetry: From Evolution to Neuroscience)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

12 pages, 764 KiB  
Article
Lateralized Declarative-Like Memory for Conditional Spatial Information in Domestic Chicks (Gallus gallus)
by Maria Loconsole, Elena Mascalzoni, Jonathan Niall Daisley, Massimo De Agrò, Giorgio Vallortigara and Lucia Regolin
Symmetry 2021, 13(5), 906; https://doi.org/10.3390/sym13050906 - 20 May 2021
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2057
Abstract
Declarative memory is an explicit, long-term memory system, used in generalization and categorization processes and to make inferences and to predict probable outcomes in novel situations. Animals have been proven to possess a similar declarative-like memory system. Here, we investigated declarative-like memory representations [...] Read more.
Declarative memory is an explicit, long-term memory system, used in generalization and categorization processes and to make inferences and to predict probable outcomes in novel situations. Animals have been proven to possess a similar declarative-like memory system. Here, we investigated declarative-like memory representations in young chicks, assessing the roles of the two hemispheres in memory recollection. Chicks were exposed for three consecutive days to two different arenas (blue/yellow), where they were presented with two panels, each depicting a different stimulus (cross/square). Only one of the two stimuli was rewarded, i.e., it hid a food reward. The position (left/right) of the rewarded stimulus remained constant within the same arena, but it differed between the two arenas (e.g., reward always on the left in the blue context and on the right in the yellow one). At test, both panels depicted the rewarded stimulus, thus chicks had to remember food position depending on the previously experienced contextual rule. Both binocular and right-eye monocularly-tested chicks correctly located the reward, whereas left-eye monocularly-tested chicks performed at the chance level. We showed that declarative-like memory of integrated information is available at early stages of development, and it is associated with a left hemisphere dominance. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Symmetry and Asymmetry: From Evolution to Neuroscience)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

Review

Jump to: Research

44 pages, 3475 KiB  
Review
Handedness Development: A Model for Investigating the Development of Hemispheric Specialization and Interhemispheric Coordination
by George F. Michel
Symmetry 2021, 13(6), 992; https://doi.org/10.3390/sym13060992 - 02 Jun 2021
Cited by 14 | Viewed by 4814
Abstract
The author presents his perspective on the character of science, development, and handedness and relates these to his investigations of the early development of handedness. After presenting some ideas on what hemispheric specialization of function might mean for neural processing and how handedness [...] Read more.
The author presents his perspective on the character of science, development, and handedness and relates these to his investigations of the early development of handedness. After presenting some ideas on what hemispheric specialization of function might mean for neural processing and how handedness should be assessed, the neuroscience of control of the arms/hands and interhemispheric communication and coordination are examined for how developmental processes can affect these mechanisms. The author’s work on the development of early handedness is reviewed and placed within a context of cascading events in which different forms of handedness emerge from earlier forms but not in a deterministic manner. This approach supports a continuous rather than categorical distribution of handedness and accounts for the predominance of right-handedness while maintaining a minority of left-handedness. Finally, the relation of the development of handedness to the development of several language and cognitive skills is examined. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Symmetry and Asymmetry: From Evolution to Neuroscience)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

Show export options expand_more Show export options expand_less
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:
 
Displaying articles 1-6
Back to TopTop